


My Hero: The Titan

by fromstarlighttodust



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Crossover, German Eren Yeager, In fact all of the snk characters are german, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secrets, Smart Armin Arlert, the Germans are a little bit BAMF all round
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2020-11-09 09:07:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20850935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fromstarlighttodust/pseuds/fromstarlighttodust
Summary: When Izuku hears from All Might that there will be a small band of German heroes coming to Japan, he is more than excited. It will be a great opportunity to learn about how other countries handle their heroes and to make new friends. However, from day one, the foreign students and their handlers raise more questions than they give answers. Izuku's curiosity knows no bounds when he is faced with people who prove to be a complete mystery time and time again. At least he can rest assured that they are all on the same side.... right?Meanwhile, Eren just wants to make his mentor proud and finally put his past behind him where it belongs. However, sometimes some things are too great to ask...





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my lovelies! So a while back I discovered a fantastic artist on tumblr by the name of juniperarts who has a running comic of this crossover and I asked permission to write a fic based off their work and... well, here we are! I hope you enjoy! Definitely go check out their stuff its INCREDIBLE.

_ He was running. There wasn't much else he could do--not after that conversation he had overheard. The same two words repeated over and over in his head. They knew. They knew. They knew. _

_ He had to get out. Escape before they found him. They'd kill him for sure. Never mind that he was only 12, they'd do it without a second thought if the boss ordered it and he had heard the boss order it. He just had to make it out and _ he _ would be there to save him. _

_ The exit was just around the next corner, but a hand reached out and grasped his arm. "Where do you think you're going, grasshopper? It seems you've done something bad…" _

_ He struggled but a 12 year old was no match for a grown man. He could--no. He had promised _ him _ he wouldn't. He lowered his head in submission, accepting his fate. He would die here, he knew, but at least he had gotten the information about this place out. _ He _ would be able to use that. _

_ Even as his mind registered that his fate was inevitable, he fought the hold. Funny, he thought, how his body refused to accept death like his brain did. _

_ And then--explosions. Where were they coming from? Did _ he _ already get here? Was… was he saved? He fought harder as hope filled his heart, clawing at the big hand that held onto him. _

_ Blood. There was blood around him. The hand that had been holding him loosened as the man screamed. "Calm down, I just cut the tendons…" a familiar voice spoke calmly. _

_ Raven hair. The sheen of metal. More explosions in the background. He smiled up at the new figure that was holding him tightly by the arm. "I thought they were gonna kill me." _

_ "They were," the man replied. "But now they aren't because I'm getting you out." _

_ He felt relief wash through him as he sagged in the man's hold. "I thought they were gonna kill me…" he whispered again. _

_ "You're going to be okay, kid. Let's go," the man replied after a moment and then dragged him out of the building. _

_ He was safe. Finally, finally safe. _

``~`**`~``

The halls of UA were buzzing with excitement. The rumors of foreign students from a school as prestigious in Germany as UA was in Japan had been flying around like crazy for weeks now. Upon hearing about it, Izuku had begun to do some research into Germany’s schools and who was meant to be coming over to Japan--All Might had given him names, even though he technically wasn’t supposed to in order to sate Izuku’s curiosity.

However, Izuku’s research only seemed to lead him to more questions. First, the way heroes were handled in Germany was confusing to him. Through his research he learned that everyone in the country had to enroll in the military if they wanted secondary education. Average citizens finished their education after middle school, but the military served as what Izuku would call high school. After their military education, the students would then chose a branch to fill into. The Military Police was basically what it sounded like--the police and sometimes, politicians. The Garrison was basically an extension of the military itself. People charged with the security of the nation itself. The Survey Corps, however, was where most people with quirks ended up. That was the hero division. It was fascinating to Izuku to say the least.

From there he moved on to the names that All Might had given him. Starting with the most prominent name he received, Izuku was all but drowned in information. Germany’s number one hero, Erwin Smith, was a public figure not unlike All Might. He inspired hope in his people and fought fearlessly. People respected and looked up to him. His physical strength was impressive to say the least, but his quirk, called Roulette, was the reason that he was number one. According to the sources that Izuku could access, when Smith activated his quirk, he was given a choice of what to bet that would lead to his success in battle. The larger the thing he bet, the higher the likelihood that he would win the gamble. Early on in his career, he didn’t bet enough and lost his arm to Roulette, but since then, it has been said that Smith would bet his entire soul to his quirk and has been unstoppably successful.

Second was Hanji Zoe. They were ranked as the number three hero in Germany, with a quirk called Bird’s Eye. Their quirk was less suited to combat, more suited to reconnaissance. Bird’s Eye enhanced Zoe’s senses to the extreme, well beyond that of the average human. On top of that, their reflexes and movement were enhanced by Bird’s Eye, making them faster and more agile than most. However, Zoe’s quirk had drawbacks in the form of the extreme energy drain they incurred from prolonged use, but that wasn’t all. Izuku had watched footage Zoe fighting, and while it was extremely impressive, when all was said and done, they had screamed, clutched their head in pain as blood poured from their nose and then they had promptly passed out from exhaustion. It was this, on top of Zoe’s rather extreme personality, that had lead to them being number three instead of two despite their impressive abilities.

The third person that was coming to Japan was Germany’s number two hero, Levi Ackerman. His quirk, Dual Blade, gave him two incredibly strong blades produced from his palms that didn’t cut through his own skin. In fact, through the course of his research, Izuku had discovered that Zoe’s weapons of choice were discarded blades from Ackerman that they had retrofitted with handles. However, more impressive than his quirk was Ackerman’s combat abilities. He moved like he wasn’t constrained by gravity, and despite the fact that there wasn’t much information available on him, Izuku had learned from watching videos that it seemed like he used his blades to propel him along at high speeds, often contorting his body with twists and turns that seemed impossible for a human to withstand. That, coupled with his pinpoint accuracy had earned him the spot of number two. Unlike the previous two, however, Ackerman didn’t seem to be appreciative of media attention and seemed to be rude and crass when cornered by reporters. Due to this, there wasn’t much information available on his history leaving much a mystery, such as the origin of the scars that decorated his face. 

The students that were accompanying the three pro heros were even more of a question for Izuku. There were four of them coming, Annie Leonhart, who’s quirk, crystallization, allowed her to harden different parts of her body that she applied with fierce hand to hand combat techniques. Mikasa Ackerman, who appeared to be some kind of distant relation of the number two hero, though no one seemed to have any concrete information on that fact, and her quirk, called Tigress, allowed her to elongate her finger nails with a similar alloy to the one Levi Ackerman’s dual blades were made of. Many of the logistics of her quirk were similar to his, in fact, such as they both had to take iron supplements in order for their bodies to be able to manifest their quirks without it completely depleting the iron in their bodies. The third student, Armin Arlert, was in the Survey Corps, but he was quirkless, which surprised Izuku. From what he could find, the blonde boy had exemplary marks in his classes, and he is incredibly intelligent, but other than that he was just a normal boy. The fourth, however, one Eren Jaeger, didn’t exist according to the internet. No matter what Izuku did, he couldn’t find any information on Eren.

All of this had left him clamoring, like all the other students, to meet the mysterious foreigners that were coming to study at UA during their time in Japan. After a series of unfortunate events in the morning, the day the students were meant to arrive, however, Izuku was running late. As he approached class 1-A's room, he was surprised to find the four foreign students standing outside his classroom. 

"This is going to be great!" The brunette male, who Izuku assumed to be Eren, said with enthusiasm. "I wonder what their quirks will be like? Will we get to fight? Do you think the captain will give me permission to show off my quirk?"

"This isn't a vacation, Eren. We have to be on our best behavior," the dark haired female replied, nestling her face into the red scarf wrapped around her neck. Izuku guessed that was Mikasa due to the fact that her fingernails were a shining silver. 

The blonde woman with them huffed softly, but said nothing. That had to be Annie Leonhart.

The blonde male, who must be Armin Arlert, smiled at the other boy's enthusiasm. "Well, it will be very interesting to see the way other countries raise their heroes."

"Um," Izuku stepped around the corner. "Are you looking for 1-A?"

"Yeah!" Eren turned a grin on him. "This is the right place, right? We are supposed to sit in on classes here while our commanding officers are conducting business."

"Ah, yes!" Izuku smiled back. "I'm Midoriya Izuku, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

"You, too. I'm Eren, this is Mikasa, Armin and Annie," Eren said, pointing to each of the people with him in turn. Izuku preened internally that he had guessed each of them right.

"Well, you can probably just go in," Izuku pointed out.

"Right, right," Eren replied.

Izuku offered him another small smile and stepped forward. "Come on."

Leading them into the room, Aizawa-sensei turned to them. "You're late, Midoriya."

Before Izuku could say anything, Eren spoke up. "I apologize, Sir, he was helping us. We had gotten lost on our way here."

Aizawa nodded absent mindedly. "The transfers, I see. Midoriya, take your seat. These four will be studying with you all while the Survey Corps are in Japan. Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"

As Izuku settled into his seat, all four students at the front simultaneously pulled into a stiff salute, feet spread apart, one hand behind their back and the other over their hearts, their gazes finding some point of the back wall. Then one by one, they went down the line, the introduction feeling more like a roll call than anything else as they nearly shouted their answers.

"Armin Arlert, cadet of the Survey Corps, reporting for duty, Sir!"

"Mikasa Ackerman, cadet of the Survey Corps, reporting for duty, Sir!"

"Annie Leonhart, cadet of the Survey Corps, reporting for duty, Sir!"

"Eren Jaeger, cadet and ward of the Survey Corps, reporting for duty, Sir!"

While everyone seemed stunned by the students in front of them, Izuku caught the one difference between Eren's introduction and the other's. What did he mean by ward? Did it have something to do with the fact that he couldn't find any information about Eren on the internet?

"Why do you guys sound like soldiers?" Ashido called out.

"We are soldiers," Eren replied, breaking the stance before the other three, and they followed his example, swinging their arms behind their backs and relaxing just slightly. 

"This will be a good lesson in how other countries handle their heroes," Aizawa cut in. "As such, we are going to do some light combat today so you can experience your new temporary classmates quirks. Let's head down to the train field, except you, Jaeger. You are to report to your captain for a... briefing, he said?"

Eren's shoulders slumped slightly but he just pulled back up into that stiff salute. "Yes, Sir!"

Armin sent him a sympathetic look, but otherwise said nothing as Eren made his way out of the room.

As all the students filed out of the room, Izuku felt curiosity nearly overwhelm him over Eren's swift departure. The boy had seemed disappointed, but unsurprised. What did _ that _ mean? And why did he have to go when the others didn't? They did seem to follow his lead, was he a squad leader of some sort?

After a brief introduction to the combat they would be doing, Eren turned back up. He beamed at the other Germans. "I've been fully cleared to participate," he said cheerfully. "As long as Mikasa keeps an eye on me and the teacher doesn't let me get out of control. I didn't miss anything, did I?"

"Good, the four of us together should be more than enough to best some simple combat training," Mikasa smiled warmly.

"I would be more cautious," Armin said, thoughtfully. "From what intel I could gather, class 1-A is exceptional due to the fact that many of them have combat experience with actual villains."

"And what do you call me?" Eren teased with a grin. And what did _ that _ mean? Izuku listened harder, hoping one of the foreigners would elaborate.

Unfortunately for Izuku's curiosity, Armin just sent him an exasperated look and moved on. "Speaking of Eren, while I'd normally say that the element of surprise on what our quirks are would work to our advantage, but seeing as this is simulated combat, Eren should probably activate Titan before hand. The steam and explosion could injure someone who doesn't know how to behave around him."

Eren nodded in agreement and turned to Aizawa. "Sir, permission to activate my quirk?"

Aizawa shrugged. "If that's what you want to do."

Eren grinned. "Everyone should stand back a little."

And before anyone could ask why, Armin, Mikasa and Annie were all joining the other students a bit of a distance away, shepherding Aizawa with them. Eren beamed at them again and then took a slow deep breath before he lifted his hand to his mouth and chomped into it with gusto.

Class 1-A all gasped as blood splattered, but they didn't really have a moment to dwell on it as Eren exploded into a pillar of steam and lightning and standing in his place was a giant.

"Eren," Mikasa called up to him. "Conscious?"

The giant nodded and the three Germans seemed to relax. Izuku watched the whole thing with rapt attention. The things they said were confusing indeed, but Eren's quirk was fantastic. He was HUGE and the transformation alone could have been devastating had anyone been around him. 

Before anyone could say anything else, though, Armin was calling out to his teammates. "Defense formation delta. Form up!"

With a puff of steam from his jaws, Eren immediately crouched down, one knee on the ground, the other poised to launch himself if needed, hunched forward, his hands cupped in front of him like a shield, encasing Armin behind them. Mikasa's nails elongated and propelled her up his arm, leaving a trail of steam in her wake from the wounds as they healed, and she latched herself over the nape of Eren's neck like some kind of spider monkey. Annie stood calmly in front of the giant hands and raised her fists in front of her face, her stance readied for combat.

Even Aizawa-sensei seemed surprised by the turn of events but he waved his hand

"Have at it, then."

And it was only then that Izuku realized that the Germans meant to fight with Armin in the center of the action. Quirkless Armin, hidden behind nothing but two great hands, and he felt anger rise. That was unacceptable, even in simulated combat, putting someone vulnerable at risk…

And then he realized, as his classmates began to move forward, that _ he was the only one who knew _. Izuku was the only one who had the opportunity to research the foreign students in advance. No one else realized that there was an innocent, quirkless boy in the field. He had to--

But as Izuku watched, the first to reach the Germans were flung back, Armin's voice carrying over the din. Kaachan and Kirishima were stopped by different forces. Annie's hands glittered with crystals as she caught Kirishima and turned her stance to hurl him into Kaachan, who was already flying backwards from a single twitch of the great fingers encasing Armin. The blast from Kaachan's quirk had left them steaming, but Eren didn't even seem to notice the damage as it healed. 

At first, it seemed like blind luck, but Izuku quickly realized that it was anything but. He realized that there was a tiny window between those fingers and Armin was _ watching _. In a split second, he had shouted some kind of order, probably telling his teammates who to target. At this point, he had abandoned the English they had been using for 1-A's benefit, the orders coming in German as Armin shouted something else.

Ah. So that was it. That's why Armin was there, even quirkless. The Germans had formed into almost one living body on his order and he was the brain, the nerve center of the unit. The team had formed a protective barrier around him and he controlled their movement. They worked together like a well oiled machine.

Todoroki's voice came from his left. "We have to cut off the head to discoordinate the body."

Without Todoroki saying it, Izuku was already forming a plan. He turned and grabbed Iida, Uraraka and Tsu. "I have a plan," he said quickly. "We have to get Armin out of the middle because he's calling all the shots. Without the nerve center, the unit will break down. The problem is, he's well protected. Uraraka, can you make something as big as Eren float?"

Uraraka hesitated for a split second before she was nodding. "I can, but I don't think I can get close to him with Annie there."

Izuku smiled. "That's going to be our job, Tsu. We are going to distract Annie long enough for Uraraka to make Eren float and for Iida to run in and restrain Armin. However, Iida, you have to be gentle. He's quirkless."

They all looked shocked by that information, but agreed to the plan nonetheless. As Izuku charged forward with Tsu, driving Annie back a bit, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Uraraka came over and tapped Eren's huge arm before jumping back and initiating her quirk. Iida was just running in when a wave of ice came in from the side, spawning from Todoroki's foot. It caused Iida to have to course correct and did little else as the Germans reacted. Armin bellowed Mikasa's name and something else in German. Mikasa dove off Eren's back, tearing into the front of his fingers and she spun her body and catapulted herself into Izuku, sending him flying into the group of students not yet engaged. The steam from the cuts melted the ice faster than it could form and Mikasa's aid gave Annie the room to get a hand on both Eren's feet and Tsu's tongue, pinning them both to the floor with her crystal while Iida--Iida had made it! He reached Armin! Izuku felt excitement fill him for a split second before Eren lifted his hands enough to give Armin room to use Iida's momentum against him. He twisted his body and spun, letting Iida projectile himself into the far wall with barely any help. Then, Eren used the not steaming hand to scoop Armin up and cradle him against his chest. 

Armin said something else, and within a plot second, Eren huffed out a long, hot breath on the clustered students, effectively knocking them down as Annie shoved a now freed Tsu back into them and leapt onto his foot. Simultaneously, Eren kicked her towards Todoroki, where she grappled and pinned him with nothing but her bare hands and Eren laid one giant palm over the other students, pinning them down. When Todoroki's fire side flared, Annie countered it with smooth crystal. 

1-A had lost spectacularly. Aizawa-sensei called it before anything more could happen. Mikasa helped pull Eren out of his quirk, having retaken her place at his nape after sending Izuku flying, leaving a steaming, dissolving giant corpse. 

Aizawa looked over 1-A as they pulled themselves back together before turning to the Germans, who were all barely sweating and back to standing in a line, their hands behind their backs. 

"Perhaps you could tell my students why you had a resounding win," he said blandly. 

"Lack of teamwork, Sir!" Eren said stiffly, stepping forward. "In the Survey Corps we are taught to always work as a unit. Separation from your squad means a swift death at the hands of villains, but your strongest attackers came at us with little to no backup."

Once he stepped back, Armon stepped forward. "I would also like to say that we used only defensive stances when in this combat scenario, which is reserved for minimal threats. If it had not been for the wave of ice that interrupted the plan that had been put in motion, we would have had to transition to offensive, used for greater threats. Your own team member's attack fast tracked your loss. Also, I may be quirkless, but never underestimate your opponent. I have been trained in the military alongside my fellow soldiers with quirks. I am not an easy target. Always take all the information you have at hand into your plan of attack."

Izuku raised his hand meekly. "Out of curiosity, how many plans did you have to counter ours?"

Armin smiled. "Five. However, three of them left two of our three fighting members locked in position, forcing me into an attacking position and one other involved sacrificing myself and handing command to Eren, while the fifth is only to be used against villains, which involves allowing Eren to fall into berserker mode."

Over all, 1-A was left feeling like they had been utterly trounced and chastised, while Izuku was left with more and more mounting questions. If nothing else, he was determined to get to the bottom of them. 


	2. Chapter 2

_ "You're a hero, aren't you?" A small voice called out to the man walking down the street. _

_ He hesitated, lifting one smooth eyebrow at the boy. "What of it?" _

_ "I've always admired you," the boy looked at him with stars in his eyes and the man sighed through his nose. _

_ "I suppose you want an autograph?" _

_ "Oh no," the boy shook his head. "I mean, it would be amazing, but I have nowhere to keep it." _

_ The man studied him for a second. "What's your name?" _

_ "It's -------," the boy smiled. "And you're -------." _

_ "Well, -------, where do you live?" The man asked. He had a sinking feeling he already knew the answer. _

_ "Nowhere in particular," the boy bit his lip and looked away. _

_ The man studied him for a few moments before nodding to a food truck outside a nearby park. "Hungry?" _

_ The boy nodded eagerly and they both got something to eat and then sat on a bench. After some time the boy spoke again. "You know, I've always wanted to be a hero. It seems so awesome!" _

_ "Why don't you?" The man asked idly. This interacting with fans thing wasn't his forte, but a homeless kid deserved someone's attention, even for a little while.  _

_ "I don't think people like me usually get what they want," the boy said bitterly.  _

_ "That doesn't necessarily have to be--" the man started, but was cut off by the radio attached to his hip crackling to life.  _

_ "Urgent call for help to central square! Urgent call for help! Villains! So many--we can't stop them! We need help!"  _

_ The man reached for the radio and gave the boy a small nod. "Duty calls." _

_ The boy's hand shot out and gripped the man's arm with immense strength. "Don't answer it." _

_ "What the hell are you doing?" The man hissed, trying to pull his arm free. The boy had an extraordinary strength for a homeless child.  _

_ "I said, don't answer it. It's a trap. There's nothing in central square but your death," the boy said seriously and then released the man. _

_ The man glared at him. "And how the hell would you know that?" _

_ The boy swung his feet in the air, his toes barely scraping the gravel under them. Now that the man really looked, the boy seemed oddly clean and cheerful for a homeless one. "My last name is -------. I'm  _ his _ son. The second one. The one that no one knows about. I'm the secret weapon. They call my quirk -------. It's supposed to be the strongest of them if I could only get to to obey me all the time. You don't have to believe me, but I've always admired you and I would like it if you didn't die today… or ever." _

_ "And that's why you can't be a hero," the man said slowly, his fingers twitching slightly over his palm. This could be the breakthrough the heroes had been looking for. If he could apprehend this boy before he activated his quirk then-- _

_ "I know what you're thinking, but you don't have to catch me. It's alright. I never wanted this life, but… I suppose you can't choose the circumstances of your birth… I'm just happy I got to save one life," the boy said softly.  _

_ "You want to help people, kid?" The man asked, not bothering to hide the surprise in his voice.  _

  
  


_ "Of course," the boy muttered. "I hate helping my dad on jobs, but he'd kill me if I refused. He'd probably kill me if he knew I was here, stopping you from going to central square. He hates you. Says you're a thorn in his side." _

_ "Okay," the man sighed out and sat back down. Everything that was happening right now was breaking every code of ethics he could think of, so what was a little more? "Okay. How old are you?" _

_ "12," the boy replied. _

_ Quietly switching off the radio that was still blaring on his hip, the man studied the boy. 12, huh? A bit young to have an already established a life of crime, but also old enough to spin webs of lies. But… young enough to be saved, to be looked over for his misdeeds. "Look, either you're telling me the truth and you can help me, or you're lying and you've played me like a fiddle. Either way, I'm going to offer you a deal. You help me find your father's base and give me all the information you can about his plans and dealings and I will personally see to it that you're not harmed. No sentencing, no jail, no juvie, no punishment. My personal protection." _

_ The boy chewed on his lower lip. "Do you promise?" _

_ The man nodded. "You have my word." _

_ The boy looked up shyly. "Could I be a hero?" _

_ The man smiled slightly. "Yeah, kid, I think that could be arranged." _

_ "I'll give you everything," the boy said, determination flickering in his eyes. "I just need a week." _

_ The man nodded as the boy stood up and all but skipped away. He had either made the gravest error of his career or he had just won a long, gruesome war. Only time would tell which was the truth.  _

``~`**`~``

Izuku sat alone at his lunch table. Usually, he would be sitting with his friends, but his mind was so overloaded with questions that he needed a moment or two to himself to sort out the tidbits of information he had gotten today. 

The German students were a real mystery, and he got the feeling that asking questions wouldn't lead to anything productive. Despite the little bits of conversation that they had dropped, they seemed to keep their secrets close to their chests. 

His mind spinning, Izuku began to mutter to himself, trying to piece together the puzzle. "None of it makes sense when looking at things from a logical standpoint, so let's take the facts and add in the impossible. Aliens? That would explain Eren's crazy quirk, but how likely is that really? I've never seen a quirk with a residual effect like his before, so more likely than it seems. The decaying corpse is something I've never heard of before. Their flawless teamwork could be explained by years of practice or maybe Armin isn't actually quirkless and has some sort of psychic quirk… but why hide that? Unless it somehow relates to Eren?"

Suddenly, Izuku became aware that he had an audience. Turning his head, he nearly jumped out of his skin as he was confronted with the bright green eyes of none other than Eren. He had his face propped up on his hand, seemingly enthralled by Izuku's mutterings. The other Germans had also settled around the table.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but I really am quirkless," Armin giggled. "Your theories are interesting, though."

"You notice a lot, huh?" Eren said cheerfully, swinging his arm over Izuku's shoulders. "Unfortunately, the information you seem to be looking for is classified, even from the people at this table, but I honestly think I like your ideas better than reality."

"What do you mean from the people at this table?" Izuku tilted his head to the side in confusion.

Annie rolled her eyes, Mikasa fiddled with the end of her scarf and Eren cleared his throat uncomfortably. After a second, Armin spoke up. "Raise your hand if you know why the Corps have been so shifty about Eren."

There was no movement for a few seconds before Eren slowly raised his hand. No one else moved a muscle. Armin turned back to Izuku and shrugged. "There you have it. Mikasa and I tried to figure it out, too, until we realized it didn't matter. Whatever it is that the military is trying to hide, we don't care. As long as we get to fight along side Eren. We know everything that's important, and that is that Eren is the best friend that anyone could ask for."

Eren rubbed the back of his head bashfully and reached across the table to gently shove Armin's shoulder. "Cut it out, Arm. Anyway, tell us more about your theory, Midoriya. I really want to know."

And that's how Izuku found himself explaining his conspiracy theories with the aid of everything within reach. By the time they were halfway through, the entire table was a complex map of food bowls and condiments, webbed together by lines of utensils.

"And then, Salt Shaker Eren would be connected to Water Bottle Armin because of the telepathic link--" Izuku was explaining to his captivated audience when a throat cleared behind them.

"What exactly is going on here?" A strange voice asked.

All the Germans seemed to tense and leapt to their feet, but none faster than Eren. "Nothing, Captain Levi, Sir!" Eren exclaimed, his body ramrod straight, his salute even tender than it had been earlier that day. The other students stood at attention, but didn't speak up.

Izuku opened his mouth in amazement as he turned to face Germany's number two hero, Levi Ackerman.

"Is this how you behave as guests?" Levi asked with a bored expression. "You've made quite the mess."

"No, Sir. I apologize," Eren's posture got impossibly more rigid, almost as if he were waiting for a blow.

Thankfully, the blow never came. Levi instead surveyed the table, a flicker of disgust flashing in his eyes before he glanced at the other soldiers. "Clean this mess up. Jaeger, Hanji wanted to look over you after the combat this morning so you'll be coming with me."

There was a collective "yes, Sir" before Levi strode away, leaving Eren to scramble after him, though not before he flashed a weak, apologetic smile to Izuku.

As the others cleaned the table, Izuku was left staring after Eren with wide eyes. Why had Eren seemed almost… terrified? None of the other Germans had seemed nearly as scared. 

"We don't know, before you ask," Annie said darkly. 

Izuku blinked at her in surprise, realizing that, other than her introduction to the class, this was the first time he had heard her speak. "Really?" He asked.

"All we know is that for whatever reason, Eren isn't like us and has to be checked over after every fight. And that there is potential for jin to lose control of his quirk, which is why we check to see if he is conscious when he activates it," Armin replied.

"But why was he so scared?" Izuku asked quietly.

There was silence around the table for a few minutes. Mikasa looked angry, Annie just stared off blankly and Armin shifted uncomfortably. "Okay, look," he said finally. "We met Eren in training camp for the Corps. He skipped basic training all together, which is nearly unheard of, so that was weird enough, but there were also some rumors floating around about him that we have never been able to confirm the truth of."

"What rumors?" Izuku asked with wide eyes.

"Apparently, for some reason the government tried to detain him and Captain Levi beat him nearly to death to prove that Eren could be controlled by the Corps. But none of this is confirmed and Eren wouldn't tell us if it was true or not, but he's always like that with the Captain," Armin said, even as he reached out and ran a soothing hand over Mikasa's clenched fists.

"It has to be true," Mikasa muttered. "Levi is not the hero everyone thinks he is."

"Mikasa, don't start saying that again. You got in trouble for spreading false rumors last time," Armin looked at her desperately.

"I think I would know," Mikasa hissed. "He's my fucking cousin."

"Mikasa--" Armin started again, but Mikasa cur him off.

"I know. Alright? I know," she sighed. "He's a saint or whatever."

Armin seemed to relax a bit, but Mikasa stood up and stormed off. The whole thing just left Izuku more confused than ever, even with all of the information he had just received. The more he learned, the more the mystery seemed to grow.

``~`**`~``

"Hey!" Eren waved Izuku down after class a few days later. "I was wondering if you could help me translate this textbook. It's all in Japanese and we're supposed to act like actual students during our stay with you guys, so I should do the homework."

Izuku smiled, Eren's bright grin contagious. "Of course."

"Great! We're renting a house nearby so why don't we go there?" Eren offered.

"Sure," Izuku replied and followed Eren out of the building.

The house that Eren lead him to wasn't extravagant, just like any of the others on the block. When the door closed behind them, Eren seemed to bleed tension out of his shoulders that Izuku hadn't even noticed was there until it was gone.

"Well, this is home for now," Eren said cheerfully and lead Izuku up the stairs into a bedroom. 

The room was startlingly clean, but there were small personal touches that made it seem homey. Eren plopped down in front of the small table in the center of the room and started spreading his books across it. Nervously, Izuku sat down across from him. He had so many questions to ask, but he didn't know what Eren would--or could--answer.

Just as he bucked up his courage to ask them, there was a knock on the door that Eren had casually swung shut behind them. "Come in!" Eren called, not looking up as he flipped through his book to the correct chapter. 

Izuku turned, expecting to see Mikasa or Armin or even Annie, but instead he came face to face with Captain Levi, who looked just as surprised as Izuku felt. The dark haired man blinked, taking in the scene before him while Izuku did a double take. The man was dressed in a plain black t-shirt and baggy grey sweatpants, a harsh difference from the crisp uniform or tactical gear Izuku had seen him in before, which was almost shockingly different. His hair was damp and hanging nearly disheveled around his face, and when in combination with the clothes, it gave him a nearly soft appearance.

However, even with his different look, Izuku felt concerned in Levi's presence. Over the last few days, he had seen Germany's number two hero several times and every time Eren had been just as terrified as he had been the first time. Mikasa's words rattled around in his head as he stared at the man  _ Levi is not the hero everyone thinks he is _ .

After a few moments of silence, Levi seemed to snap out of his surprise. "Oh, you have a friend over."

"Yeah," Eren grinned. "Midoriya said he'd help me translate the textbook they use so I can actually pretend to be a student."

Izuku blinked at Eren in confusion. Gone was the usual scared look from his face and in its place sat a content teenager that smiled easily at the man that usually had him jumping out of his skin.  _ What was happening? _

Levi hummed softly and stepped into the room, striding past Izuku to stand in front of Eren. Izuku internally flinched, expecting the worst when Levi's hand raised, but said hand just gently ruffled Eren's hair, pushing his bangs out of his face, stormy grey eyes studying the teen for something that Izuku couldn't identify. "Hungry?" Levi asked. His voice was calm and gentle and Eren seemed to subtly lean into the casual touch.

"I could eat," Eren nodded.

"You should eat more during the day," Levi chastised, but again, there was no bite behind his words, just an undercurrent of concern as he dropped his hand to his side. 

Eren huffed and glowered. "I'm fine, Levi."

And that was almost more surprising than anything else had happened thus far. The casual way Eren dropped his commanding officer's name like it was the most natural thing in the world left Izuku internally reeling. Really, what was going on?

Levi just hummed again and retreated to the door. Glancing over his shoulder, he eyed Izuku for a moment before he pointed at him. "You, kid. You like stuffed mushrooms?"

Izuku snapped to attention, his eyes wide as he nodded nervously. "Yes, sir." What the hell was a stuffed mushroom??

"Drop the formalities in my house," Levi replied, but he nodded and turned, disappearing down the hall. Izuku turned wide eyes to Eren, completely stupefied by what he had just witnessed.

Eren shook his head, his wild hair falling back into place after it had been someone smoothed down by Levi's fingers before he sighed and turned to Izuku. "You have questions."

Slowly, Izuku nodded. "A lot."

Eren nodded. "Ask. I can't guarantee answers, but I'll tell you what I can. Call it a thank you for helping me out."

"What just happened?" Izuku blinked. "Usually you seemed terrified of Captain Levi."

Erne looked surprised for a few seconds before he burst out laughing. When he finally calmed down, Eren took a deep breath. "Sorry, sorry. It's not funny I suppose, but damn, that was priceless. I'm not scared of Levi. What you see in public is an act of sorts. Knowing how smart you are, you probably picked up on the fact that I am not like the other soldiers of the Corps, yeah?"

"You said you were a ward," Izuku confirmed.

"Yes, that," Eren nodded along. "Officially, Levi is my supervisor. He's responsible for controlling me and due to that, when in public I have to show that he's doing his job so the government doesn't relocate me. But because he's supposed to have me under 24 hour surveillance, we live together and when we're home no one is watching us and I can relax."

"So all of that jumping to attention is just for show?" Izuku asked.

Eren nodded. "Mostly. I mean, he is the captain of my squad, so it's right for me to be polite to him in public but when no one is watching for signs that his iron control over me is slipping, well… it's like that. We have lived together for four years now, it would be a little insane to have to be a captain and subordinate all the time."

"Like that, huh?" Izuku mused quietly. He would come back to that, but first… "How did you end up with him?"

Eren tensed slightly, and then sighed. "Most of the answer to that is classified, but what I can tell you is my family wasn't very good to me and Levi saved me."

Izuku chewed on his lip for a moment before the question just burst out of him. "So is Captain Levi your commanding officer, your guardian or your dad?"

Eren froze for a second before he started laughing. He shook his head, something soft in his eyes as he answered. "Officially, the first two. Unofficially… Well, Levi's been better to me in four years than my biological father ever was to me in twelve, so… I suppose I wouldn't mind it if he was my dad. I'd never tell him, though. I could just imagine the face he'd make if I asked to call him that."

Izuku smiled, all the worry he had been storing up melting away. It was barely a minute later that Levi came back into the room with two screaming plates ok his hands. "Eat," he said stiffly.

Izuku bit into the food in front of him and nearly melted at the flavor. Apparently, he really did like stuffed mushrooms. "Thanks, Levi," Eren said warmly.

Levi ruffled Eren's hair again and then turned to Izuku. "You're his friend, right, kid?"

Izuku nodded, swallowing down his bite of food. Levi crossed his arms over his chest and sent a glare to Eren that the brunette didn't even seem to notice as he tucked into his own plate like a starved animal.

"Part of the reason Eren is stuck with me is because his quirk can be unstable," Levi said. "He loses control. It happens more often when the moron doesn't fucking eat enough. His metabolism runs fast, consuming food up to three times faster than the average person's. Do me a favor and make sure he actually eats enough during the day."

"Cafeteria food isn't this good," Eren grumbled around a mouthful, even as Izuku nodded frantically in acceptance of the task he was given.

"And I don't want to have to put down a raging titan form," Levi replied, his eyes going soft with affection as he looked over at Eren. "Eat, spoiled brat. I'll bring you more snacks later."

Eren beamed at him, and Levi huffed with no real aggravation behind it before he retreated pit of the room.

Izuku turned to Eren who was still wolfing down his food. "Yeah, he's definitely your dad."

Eren choked. Neither of them noticed Levi who was still lingering outside the room with a small smile on his face.


	3. Chapter 3

_ “Shit,” the man spat out, before he coughed, blood splattering over his lips. “Stupid.” _

_ “We have to go!” A hand grabbed at his shoulder and tugged at him. _

_ “No,” He said, spitting the blood from his mouth. “There was a 53% chance. This is our only option. We might not have another one.” _

_ “You’re crazy,” the person next to him breathed, but nodded, pulling out the blades that they kept on their belt. “I’m right behind you.” _

_ The man nodded and flew into action, but before he could even get close enough to make contact, a cloud of stone exploded into the wall next to him. Last second, he shoved his partner out of the way of the debris, but he didn’t have time to see if they landed safely. He reeled back as the rock ricocheted and sliced into his face, chest, and hands in several places. Hissing in pain, he dug his own blade into the wall and tried to wipe the blood from his eyes with the back of his other hand. WIth his vision still blurry, a giant hand came all but blind sided him, taking a hold of the blade in his free hand and ripped him off the wall. _

_ He cried out as he was whipped around like a rag doll, two of his fingers also caught in the grip and he knew in an instant that they weren’t recoverable. Bringing up his other hand, he sliced into the hand holding him and cut the giant fingers to free himself, but then he was free falling. He had to recover it, had to catch into something with his blades, there was no way he’d survive the fall from this high, but he was too far from anything he could get a grip on. _

_ With a grunt, his body collided with another, his partner tackling him out of the air and they both crashed through the window of a nearby building, rolling on the ground. Slowly, the man dragged himself up onto his hands and knees, trying to convince himself to get back into the fight. Studying his hands as he tried, he determined that he had definitely been right about those two fingers while one of his eyes seemed completely compromised by the blood splattering freely from the wounds across his face. The fingers were crushed, mangled beyond being recognizable. He forced himself up, only to collapse back to his knees, suddenly becoming aware of a large shard of glass wedged deep into his shoulder. _

_ “Stop,” his partner said weakly. They looked at him, blood running freely from both nostrils, leaning heavily against the side of a desk, their hand clutching at their head. “You’ll die. I’ll die trying to pull you out again. I overused ----- ----- to catch you the first time. I can’t--ow, shit, shit, it hurts--I can’t do it again. You have a kid waiting for you to come home. This isn’t the end. We’ll figure out how to beat him and then do it, but not now. Ah, fuck, my head, fuck.” _

_ After a second, the man shook his head. “He’ll never let us leave.” _

_ “----- has a way for us,” the other said. “He said the probability of a clean escape was 97%.” _

_ Over the coms, a tinny voice came through. “92% now that you’re both beaten to hell. Still good odds, though.”  _

_ “Fuck,” the man hissed, but he took the escape. His partner was right. There was no way that they could beat the beast. It was too big, too fearsome. 53% hadn’t been enough. His soul hadn’t been enough. _

_ It wasn’t until later, when the odds were recounted did he find out the truth. The only way to beat the beast was his boy, but after their losses had been tallied, he never wanted to let his boy’s soul be used this way. He had willing offered his and had lost half of his vision and his fingers, but his boy was just a child. If they were wrong, if the offering wasn’t enough, he would lose his boy. _

_ And for the first time in a very long time, he was afraid. _

``~`**`~``

Izuku had met Eren on the corner near his house. As they chatted, walking to school together, an explosion sounded in the not too far off distance. Eren’s head swivelled around, searching for the source of the noise.

“It’s probably a villain,” Izuku said quietly, but then he perked up. “We can go watch the heroes work on the way to school, if you want.”

“That explosion sounded…” Eren bit his lip, but shook his head. “Nah, it couldn’t be. Yeah, let’s go see your heroes work.”

But just as he finished his sentence, a roar ripped through the air and Eren froze. Izuku turned to him curiously, taking in the way that Eren’s body shook. “Eren? Are you okay?”

Eren flung off his backpack and pulled his phone out of his pocket, tossing it to Izuku. “Call Captain Levi. Then Armin, Mikasa and Annie. In that order. Tell them I said it’s a code red. He’s here. I’m engaging with Titan.”

“W-what? Eren, you can’t! We aren’t allowed to use our quirks--” Izuku started, but Eren was already running towards the source.

“Do it!” He shouted over his shoulder, and then he lifted his hand to his mouth and chomped down.

Saying that Izuku was clear of the blast radius would have been generous. Eren had turned into his titan form, and Izuku had just managed to get out of the way of the burning hot steam using One For All, Full Cowling. Looking down at the phone in his hand, he hit dial on Captain Levi’s contact and used his quirk to make his way to Eren’s shoulder.

“Eren, are you conscious?” Izuku asked, remembering that Mikasa had checked during training.

The giant titan tilted his head slightly, but nodded.

“Eren, now’s not a good time, what do you want,” Levi said in way of answering the phone and Izuku was momentarily confused, having forgotten about the phone against his ear.

“It’s Midoriya Izuku, Sir,” he said quickly, grasping onto the long strands of Eren’s hair as the titan started to run.

There was silence for a second, but then Levi’s voice hardened, even as it was tinted with a hint of worry. “Where the fuck is Eren?”

“I’m sitting on his shoulder, Sir. He asked me to call you. He said to tell you it’s a code red, that he’s here and that he’s engaging with titan,” Izuku relayed.

“Fuck, no, tell him to stand down,” Levi exclaimed, but then a second voice sounded from the background and Levi sighed. “No, don’t, shit. Tell him we’re on the way. I’m sure Eren told you to call the rest of his squad, but don’t bother. I’ll alert them. They’re probably closer than I am right now. For now, just back him up.”

“Yes, Sir,” Izuku said, dutifully.

“And, kid? Don’t let him die,” Levi added quietly. “He’s regenerative, not immortal. Some people tend to forget that.”

“Yes, Sir,” Izuku said again.

The line went dead, and Izuku tucked the phone into his pocket. “Backup is on the way,” he informed the sprinting titan.

Eren nodded slightly and he skidded to a stop and positively roared. Izuku’s eyes widened as he took in the sight before them. Standing in the middle of his city was another titan. This one was bigger than Eren, and hairy like a gorilla with a huge, sinister grin.

“Little brother,” the other titan said, sounding half shocked and half gleeful. “I heard you were in hero custody. It’s good to see you. They have father locked away, too, but I escaped. I didn’t think I’d see you here, but I’m glad. It’s alright now.”

Eren just roared, and Izuku couldn’t help thinking the sound was angry. What was happening? Why was Eren so upset, and who was this other titan calling him little brother?

“Still can’t talk, huh?” The other titan said. “That’s okay. Big brother is here now. I’ll help you. Come here. Together we can break father out of prison and reign over anywhere we chose.”

And to Izuku’s never ending surprise, Eren walked forward calmly, towards the open arms of what was clearly a villain. “Eren?” He gasped out, but Eren ignored him.

At the very last second, when it seemed like Eren was just going to fall into the villain's arms, he swung his fist. The force of the impact was enough to send a shockwave over Izuku, forcing him to cover his face and cling tighter to Eren’s hair, but when he could look up again, he saw that the other titan had caught Eren’s fist.

“Oh, I see. So that’s how it is. Are you their puppy now?” The titan asked. “They say jump and the little titan boy says how high? Is that one of them on your shoulder? Do they know who you are? How you were made? Do they know who your father is? How’s the Captain doing?”

And Eren all but screamed in rage, his other fist coming up only to be caught as well. As the enemy said the last sentence, he clenched down on Eren’s captive fist, crushing the bones inside it. Eren roared again and struggled vainly against the grip. His legs came up and he tried to push off of the other titan’s stomach to release his hands.

Without thinking, Izuku leapt forward and used every drop of strength that the full cowling allowed him to land a punch on the enemy’s face. The titan released Eren’s crushed hand and caught Izuku out of the air. “Oh, the little fly has quite the punch.”

He squeezed. Izuku screamed. It hurt. It hurt like nothing he had ever felt before. Eren’s titan lunged forward, sinking his teeth into the wrist of the hand holding Izuku, but he knew that he was going to be crushed before Eren managed to free him.

“Offensive Formation Beta!” Armin’s voice cried out and suddenly, the fingers around Izuku were cut away, Mikasa nodding to him as she whirlwinded herself over to the enemy’s other arm, slicing it open to free Eren’s other hand.

The not broken and steaming hand shot out to scoop Armin and Annie up and place them on Eren’s shoulder, where Annie scrambled over to touch Eren’s neck and Armin’s ankle, locking them both to Eren’s shoulder with crystal and creating a protective layer over the back of Eren’s neck. Mikasa’s long, metal nails dug into Eren’s other shoulder to hold her in place, Izuku crouching next to her.

“What’s the situation?” Mikasa asked.

“I don’t really know. All I know is that’s a villain and Eren told he to call Captain Levi when he heard him,” Izuku said desperately.

Mikasa frowned. “Eren, is this why we’re in Japan?”

Slowly, Eren nodded.

“I think, after this, it’s time to declassify some information,” Armin said quietly. “We need to be fully informed in order to form a clear plan.”

Eren nodded again. 

Armin looked over their enemy and Izuku could almost see the wheels turning in his head, coming up with a plan. The enemy titan scooped up a chunk of debris from the ground and crushed it between his giant hands before he sighed. “It’s alright, little brother. I’ll bring you back to your senses. First things first, though, I’ll have to get rid of those little flies around you, whispering corrupting lies into your ears.”

The crushed ball of rock flew at them and Eren barely had time to react as Armin cried out “Annie, release!” He twisted himself, forcing the team on his shoulders to slide down into his hands, shielding them from the shower of rock.

Eren looked down at them him his hands, steam rising from his back. “His nape!” Mikasa said with worry lacing her tone. “We left his nape undefended.”

Annie shook her head. “I’ve got it.” she motioned to Eren’s huge chest, her palm laying flat against it, a line of crystal extending up from it, over Eren’s great shoulder and out of sight.

“Oh, I see they’re protecting your weak spot,” the enemy said. “Well, there are other ways for me to get you out of there.”

A huge hand wrapped around Eren’s head and pulled it back. He roared at the way his neck was pulling, and Izuku couldn’t help but think that he meant to rip his head straight off, while Eren was powerless to defend himself, his hands occupied with protecting his squad. Izuku had promised Captain Levi that he wouldn’t let Eren die. He had to do something.

At the same time, he and Mikasa launched upwards, attacking the fingers gripping Eren’s head. For a second, it seemed like they would be able to free him, but then the second hand came up to swat at them. Izuku took the blow head on, throwing him into a nearby building while Mikasa barely managed to dodge it, losing her footing and plummeting towards the ground. 

At that moment, several things happened simultaneously. Mikasa was caught out of the air by Eren’s hand, the enemy titan’s fingers exploded with blood under an impressive whirlwind of blades from Captain Levi and his eyes were cut out by Hanji. Eren’s titan wavered and he started to collapse towards the ground, his holding his precious cargo securely against his chest.

Captain Levi dug his blade into Eren’s nape. “Wake up, kid, you have to get out.”

“Levi! Get the kids and let’s go, we aren’t prepared for this,” Hanji called, from where they were perched on the top of the enemy titan’s head. They giggled slightly as the titan’s other hand came up to hit them, but they dodged flawlessly and made their way over to Izuku. “You okay? Come on, we’re retreating.”

“Retreating?” Izuku blinked at them.

“Do you really think you can beat the beast titan?” Hanji tilted their head to the side, pulling Izuku to his feet. “Plus, fighting here, in the middle of the city would only create more casualties.”

Eren’s titan roared, rage filling the sound and his hands abandoned their hold on Annie, Armin and Mikasa. “Shit,” Levi cursed. Annie had grabbed onto Armin, her other hand still locking them to Eren’s chest, but Izuku saw Mikasa falling again and he leapt forward, catching her and landing flawlessly on the building across the way. 

“He’s gone berserk,” Mikasa breathed, her eyes locking on Eren as he turned towards the beast titan.

“Leonhart!” Levi shouted and Annie nodded.

The crystal that had been protecting Eren’s nape retreated and spiraled downwards, locking Eren’s legs into place while Captain Levi cut into Eren’s titan, hacking away at the flesh so he could access Eren himself. Meanwhile, Hanji buzzed around the beast titan, barely dodging blows as they taunted and distracted him. Finally ripping Eren free, Levi signalled his soldiers.

Mikasa grabbed Izuku’s wrist and pulled him along as they used the cover of the steam from the decomposing titan body to retreat. Confusingly, the beast titan didn’t pursue them, and soon enough, they were a safe distance away.

“What happened back there?” Mikasa was the first to break the silence.

“Who was that person with a similar quirk to Eren’s is one important question. However, another is why did Eren go berserk? He didn’t sustain enough damage to make it a possibility and it’s early in the day and there’s no was that Captain Levi let him leave home without a good breakfast so he didn’t use up his food stores,” Armin agreed.

“Emotional instability,” Captain Levi replied, stiffly. He had Eren, unconscious and draped over his shoulder.

“Captain,” Armin looked around at his comrades and then stiffened his back. “I believe we are owed an explanation and it seems as though you know the truth.” 

“Of course I know the truth,” Levi snapped. “Do you think I would have been put in charge of Eren if I didn’t? That doesn’t change the fact that none of you, least of all the Japanese kid, have the clearance to hear it.”

“We’re signing their death warrants if we don’t tell them, Levi,” Eren’s voice called softly from Levi’s back. He lifted his head slowly. “It’s my story to tell, anyway.”

“The German government owns you and your story,” Levi shot back.

“Yeah? Well, they can do as they please when we get back to Germany,” Eren sighed. “I don’t want anyone to die if I can help it and maybe knowing who I am and where I came from will help with that.”

“I hate to say it, but I agree with Eren,” Hanji chimed in. “Plus, it’s not like you or I will let anything happen to him, even if the government finds out that he told his friends the truth.”

Levi looked pained, but he just walked with more determination. “Do whatever you want. It’s not like you actually listen to me anyway, but just wait until we get to the house, will you?”

Eren smiled. “I always listen to you.”

“Shut up,” Levi grumbled, jostling Eren on his back. 

Once they reached the house that Eren and Levi were living in, everyone took up places around the kitchen and living room, while Levi started moving around the kitchen.

Eren folded his hands in front of himself with a frown on his face. “I suppose I should start with the fact that I was born quirkless,” he said quietly. “And my father, being who he is, couldn’t accept a son who was quirkless. Just like he couldn’t accept one that was enamoured by heroes. So, he made the quirk inside me in a lab. You all know it as Titan, but the actual classification is Attack Titan. He had intended to fix it’s instability, but I met Captain Levi before he got the chance and then I aided in his capture less than a week later. My father is--”

Eren was cut off as Levi slammed a plate down in front of him and a steaming cup of tea followed shortly after, placed slightly more gently. “Eat. You used a lot of energy,” Levi said when Eren blinked at him.

After a second, Eren cleared his throat and started again. “My biological father also used the same research to enhance my older brother, Zeke, leading him to have the Beast Titan. That’s who we met today. Unlike me, Zeke wanted to follow in our father’s footsteps. No one really… Well, up until I met Levi, no one had ever told me I could be a hero before. There were always expectations on me, but none of them were good.” 

“Who was your father?” Armina asked slowly.

Eren sighed. “You would probably know him as The Good Doctor.”

Izuku looked around, gauging reactions. He himself had never heard of The Good Doctor, but based on the way Hanji and Levi looked resigned, Mikasa flinched and Armin gasped, the name wasn’t a good thing. 

Armin picked up on it first and turned to Izuku. “The Good Doctor was one of Germany’s most notorious villains. He’s behind bars now, thanks to the efforts of our heroes, but for a very long time, no one could find any information on him.”

Izuku nodded, trying to process all the information he had been given. 

“And we never would have if Eren hadn’t met Levi and sent him all the details of their hideout,” Hanji said. “Without Eren, The Good Doctor, or Grisha Jaeger, who's real name was never released to protect Eren, would still be at large. Which is part of the reason he’s been allowed to live.”

“What?” Mikasa’s voice was sharp.

“Ah,” Eren laughed weakly. “The government wanted me dead after my father was captured. Among other things, they thought that I had purposely been caught when I sent the files over to Levi, giving Zeke enough time to escape. They also pointed out that my quirk was unstable, making me a danger to myself and others and that I had been raised for 12 years by a villain, fed that mindset in quite a few of my formative years, as well as having done quite a few jobs for him. Basically, after a risk evaluation, they decided that I was too much of a threat to be left alive. However, when I first met Levi, he promised me his personal protection in exchange for information and he followed through on that.”

Hanji laughed brightly. “You should have seen him during the negotiations! He took me hostage--willingly of course, I consented beforehand--and told the officials present that if they didn’t want to lose their number two and three heroes, then they’d put Eren in his custody!”

“No one needs to know that,” Levi grumbled.

“Aw, Levi,” Hanji grinned at him. “It’s not like they liked you before that, anyway.”

“No one needed to know that either,” Levi replied.

“So, just to sum this up,” Armin spoke up. “Eren’s quirk is artificial, he’s the son of the most notorious criminal we’ve had in something like fifty years, and we are in Japan to apprehend his runaway villain brother?”

Eren winced at the summary, but nodded. “Yeah, that about sums it up.”

Levi crossed his arms. "There is also the fact that this isn't the first time that Germany's big three have faced the beast titan. We went into battle against him a year after Eren was placed in my custody."

"That wasn't on the news," Armin said thoughtfully.

"Of course it wasn't," Levi sent him a withering glare. "Roulette gave us a 53% chance of victory with the contribution of both Erwin and my souls." Lifting his right hand and waving it slightly, showcasing his two missing fingers in front of his scarred face. "We lost spectacularly. Hanji nearly died from overusing Bird's Eye. I sustained several life threatening injuries. Erwin lost his arm cancelling the Roulette to save our souls. It took part of him in exchange. It wasn't made public because we couldn't afford to lose the people's faith in us."

"If you both weren't enough, why did we chase him to Japan?" Mikasa asked bluntly.

Levi frowned and looked away. Hanji watched him with sad eyes for a second before turning to Mikasa. "Because when Erwin rerolled the probability, he added Eren to the equation and we got a 89% chance of success should certain conditions be met." 

"What conditions?" Armin leaned forward a bit.

"An open field, our aid and…" Hanji trailed off.

Eren pursed his lips. "A death," he said. "Probably mine."

"No!" Mikasa exclaimed.

Levi stood from the seat he had taken and walked away without a word. Eren hesitated for all of a second before shooting up and following after him.

A few moments later, the silence that had fallen over the room was broken by the sound of hushed, angry voices from the next room. everyone shifted uncomfortably, acutely aware that they weren't meant to be privy to the conversation, but unable to tune it out.

"We've known it was the truth since Erwin told us the conditions. I'm sorry, but you know it as much as I do," Eren said.

"We don't know it's your death," Levi objected.

"I won't let anyone else die. Not for my family," Eren shot back.

"They aren't your family. Not anymore," Levi growled.

"I know that! They never were! I was just their pawn," Eren's voice rose in distress. "I know that better than you or anyone! I lived it."

"I will not accept your death, Eren. Not now, not ever. Anyone else, I don't care, but not you," Levi said after a pause.

"I'm the one who's fake and broken! I'm the mistake," Eren replied. It sounded like he was crying now. 

"There's  _ nothing _ wrong with you," Levi's voice had softened now. "Come on, come here, stop crying."

A few moments later, Eren's voice came muffled, like his face was pressed into something. "I wish I hadn't been born in that family. I wish I was your son…"

There was silence for a long while after that, but finally Levi's voice, softer than anyone there had ever heard it. "You are. You're my ridiculous kid and that's why no matter what, I won't let you die. A real father would go to any length to protect their son,  _ no matter what _ they turned out like."

For a long time after that, all they could hear was the soft sound of sobs and then eventually, the sounds moved further away until a door closed in the distance.

After a few seconds Armin leaned forward. “It seems like a big pill to swallow, but Eren’s still Eren. It’s not like he’s a villain in disguise. He’s a hero through and through. It doesn’t matter who his family is. I’m more concerned about the fact that his quirk is artificial. If news of that were to get out, who knows what would happen.”

“It’s not as crazy as you think,” Izuku muttered, before he could stop himself.

“What?” Armin looked at him sharply.

“Nothing,” Izuku frowned. “I’m more worried about the death that Roulette claims is required.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Mikasa said, her tone dark.

“Eren wouldn’t forgive any of us for dying,” Armin said quietly. “Not if he thinks he can prevent it.”

“So we prove Roulette wrong,” Izuku grinned. “Because you guys didn’t have us before. 1-A won’t make you fight alone if you ask for our help. All of us together has to be enough to negate the need for a death, right?”

“While I’d like to say yes, the only one who could tell us that is Commander Erwin,” Armin replied. “However, I think it’s worth the chance.”

“And if it comes down to it, then I’ll take the fall,” Mikasa added.

Moments later, Levi marched back into the living room, glaring at the uncomfortable looking occupants. "What the hell are you all doing here still?"

“I’ve just been learning about these kids,” Hanji said cheerfully. She turned to Levi. “They’re a good group, here.”

Levi’s frown deepened. “Well, you can all get out. Eren is going to rest for now.”

“I’d like to talk to him before I go,” Izuku stood up. “I… There’s something I’d like to tell him.”

Levi studied Izuku’s face for a few seconds before waving his hand. “Go for it.”

Izuku made his way towards Eren’s bedroom and knocked gently on the door. “Eren?”

“Midoriya?” Eren’s voice called back after a moment. “Come in…”

“Eren,” Izuku said, softly, walking into the darkened room. “I have to tell you something important. You’re not broken or a mistake.”

There was silence for a while and then Eren laughed bitterly. “You guys heard that, huh? But I am. I wasn’t supposed to have a quirk.”

“Neither was I,” Izuku sat down and pulled his knees up to his chest. “You can’t tell anyone that, though. It’s a secret, just like yours. Just like you, I was born quirkless. The quirk I have now is called One For All. It’s passed down from one person to the next. Am I also broken or a mistake?”

“No,” Eren’s voice was soft. “At least you can control yours, though.”

“I can’t though,” Izuku laughed. “You’ve seen Full Cowling activated. That’s only 10% of the power of the quirk inside me. If I activate any more than that, Whatever limb I used it on will break. Look at my hands and arms. See all these scars? They’re all from repeatedly breaking the bones from using One For All. We’re the same, Eren.”

Eren reached out and ran a finger over one of the scars before he smiled. “Thank you, Midoriya.”

“Any time. Also, we’re going to talk to 1-A about helping you against your brother. We’re going to overwhelm the odds and make it so no one needs to die. We’re your friends, Eren. Rely on us.”

Slowly, Eren nodded. “Okay.”


End file.
